Medical Equipment

The Xience stent, a flexible metal-mesh tube coated with the drug everolimus, has recently been used in it’s first real-life trial and according to Dutch cardiologists, it is performing incredibly well.

Though the product was approved by the FDA last July, the effectiveness of the new stent in “complex, unselected patients treated in daily practice still remains unknown and cannot be extrapolated from these randomized controlled trials,” said cardiologists at Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam in their report, which was released online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. “We therefore sought to evaluate the impact of this second-generation drug-eluting stent on the clinical outcomes in consecutive patients treated in a real-life, all-comer population.”

The trial, which involved nearly 650 people, compared the outcomes of those given the new stent with others who had received bare metal stents or another type of coated stent. The result: in a sixth month follow up period, the incidence of death, heart attack and stenosis was lower in the Xience group.

The Xience V stent is made by Abbott Vascular and the company will continue to track performance using a data bank that incorporates more than 5,000 recipients.

During a recent web conference sponsored by Avalere Health, Ralph Brindis, incoming president of the American College of Cardiology, called for health care providers in all areas to increase their use of disease registries as to collect better data on quality and performance.

According to Brindis, the disease registries will “allow timely clinical data to be collected for performance-measure reporting.” He added that the registries would enable the industry to test “performance measures for many stakeholders before they are widely used or accepted.”
In addition, as more health providers use the databases, “the registries would be strengthened in terms of their participation within the community,” Brindis said. In the end, increased usage could help automate data entry and help health care providers avoid entering information into inefficient, multiple alternative systems. To put it simply, there needs to be something more unified.
Does your clinic or practice utilize disease registries? Why or why not?

When it comes to medical science, we seem to concern ourselves with physical or bodily health above all else. However, we tend to forget (or sometimes fail to see) that one’s emotional health can often be a factor in one’s physical well-being.

Anger, in particular, is one emotion that we need to monitor closely. According to NBCWashington.com, a study from Yale University cardiologist Rachel Lampert has shown that anger can trigger dangerous heart rhythms in people who are already vulnerable. Lampert observed irregular heartbeats similar to those that occur during exercise, but they resulted from the angry thoughts of some of her patients, suggesting that anger may directly affect heart cells.

Instrumental to this study were EKG machines, and in the wake of this revelation, PhysiciansResource.net is proud to offer a variety of them. As the lifeblood of the human body, the heart needs a lot of attention, and our EKGs offer reliable and accurate cardiac readings to ensure that the appropriate actions can be taken if anything is amiss.

If you’re wrestling with this emotion, an EKG might reveal any potential health risks. So, don’t let your anger control you; turn the tables and control it with a quick checkup.

Aortic valve surgery, or the process of replacing one of the four valves that regulates the passage of blood into and out of the heart, is not an uncommon procedure. 75,000 to 99,000 are performed in a year, and there is not much one can do to prevent the bodily failure that makes it necessary. Aortic valves harden and wear out, often due to old age, and not even physical fitness can reduce the risk. Thanks to this procedure, however, we needn’t have any fear.

When it comes to any matter of the heart, it is important to be vigilant, and at PhysiciansResource.net, we are committed to keeping your heart in check. With our great selection of cardiology supplies, there is no crisis for which a doctor can be unprepared. Our defibrillators are small, lightweight, and portable, readying you for any cardiological curve ball. If you’re looking to monitor the old ticker to preempt any complications, we also have stress tests and EKG machines, both of which can reveal any abnormalities before they get truly problematic.

With these supplies, your heart will have a fighting chance, so do yourself a favor: don’t leave PhysiciansResource.net without them!

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has announced a plan to install defibrillators in 30 of its stations by the end of the spring, the Toronto Star reports. With over 1,400 commuter illnesses in the past year (900 of which ended in hospital visits), the decision seems to be a wise one. Bill Thomas, head of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, concurs. “For every minute you can initiate CPR or use the public defibrillator you can save a life,” he says.

Thomas is right. Defibrillators can save lives, and at PhysiciansResource.net, we offer them in droves. Our Burdick Medic defibrillators are compact, easy to use, and portable, so keep one on hand and you’ll be ready for any crisis. Or, check out the Medtronic Physio Control, which offers hands-free defibrillation and printing of critical event summaries. Of course, you can also try the Powerheart AED G3, which simplifies the process by analyzing the heart and delivering an automatic defibrillation shock if a life-threatening rhythm is detected.

PhysiciansResource.net is committed to saving lives, and these defibrillators are only a small sample of what we have to offer. So, if you’re in the market for health care products, stick around and have a look.

According to a recent report on BNET.com, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement is trying to get all U.S. Hospitals to test the World Health Organization’s surgical checklist. While IHI doesn’t believe that a government mandate is required, it hopes that peer pressure from hospitals and national organizations that endorse the checklist will lead to universal adoption. The 19-point checklist includes items that surgical teams should check before anesthesia, before skin incision, and before the patient leaves the operating room. From Pulse Oximeters to introductions to the patient, this comprehensive checklist could change the face of healthcare in our nation.

According to an international study of hospitals in eight cities in advanced and developing countries, use of the checklist reduced surgical mortality rates by nearly half, and inpatient complications, by 38 percent. While the checklist probably wouldn’t reduce the death rate as much in the U.S. as in the less developed nations (Indian, Jordan, Philippines, Tanzania) where the protocol was tested, the study found that “all sites had a reduction in the rate of major postoperative complications.”

IHI has posted the checklist and supporting materials on its website. It’s also promoting the “sprint” to test the checklist by April 1 in its e-newsletter, which goes to most hospitals. More than 4,000 facilities participated in IHI’s 5 Million Lives safety campaign, and IHI is using the same network of 70 field offices that organized that campaign to get this one off the ground. Most of these offices use the resources of local organizations, such as state hospital associations and Medicare-contracted quality improvement organizations. According to IHI project director Fran Griffin, groups in 13 states have pledged to get every hospital in their state to try the checklist.

According to a report developed by the British Medical Journal and the US National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, a study was recently conducted to find out whether a faster resting heartbeat could predict the risk of heart attacks for women. Researchers looked at detailed health records for nearly 130,000 postmenopausal women with no history of heart problems. At the start of the study, women rested for five minutes, then had their pulse taken. They were the followed up for about seven years yielding surprising results.

According to the study results, the were ranked into groups depending on their heart rate. About 80 percent of women had a heart rate under 76 beats per minute. All the women in this range had roughly the same chance of having a heart attack. However, women in the top 20 percent (who had heartbeats faster than 76 beats per minute) had a slightly higher chance of having a heart attack.

Among women over the age of 65 with a heart rate of less than 62 beats per minute, there were about 37 heart attacks each year for every 10,000 women. In the group with a heart rate of more 76 beats per minute, 54 out of 10,000 women had a heart attack each year.

Researchers recommend healthy diets, no smoking, exercise, and regular Stress Testing after menopause to reduce the risk of developing heart problems that could lead to heart attack. As the result of this study, some health care professionals may receive floods of stress testing requests as women work to ensure their health and safety. PhysiciansResource.net is proud to offer Stress Testing Systems for your practice that are designed to deliver results using cutting edge technology and an ergonomic design that can work to boost your office efficiency. Update your practice. Get yours today.

According to a recent report in the Jan. 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, increasing technology and wireless capabilities in hospitals lead to increased care ratings.

“Every day there are more innovations [in medicine], more evidence-based guidelines. For a single physician to keep track of that is difficult,” said study author Dr. Ruben Amarasingham, associate chief of medicine at Parkland Health & Hospital System and an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. “Computers and, in particular, electronic decision support, provides enormous adjunct service [to physicians and other health-care professionals] when taking care of patients.”

The analysis involved more than 167,000 individuals over the age of 50 who were hospitalized between Dec. 1, 2005, and May 30, 2006. The authors compared inpatient death rates, complications, length-of-stay and cost associated with greater and lesser levels of automation in 41 Texas hospitals. The results: computer automated information systems, testing, and equipment often acted as another level of checks and balances in patient care, leading to an overall higher level of quality. To read more about the study…

To start adding more integrated medical technology solutions into your practice, clinic, or hospital, choose PhysiciansResource.net to provide you with the latest innovations in cardiology, medical imaging, and more.

GE Healthcare has introduced three medical imaging technologies for gentler imaging, which is expected to enable better patient care: the low-dose Discovery CT750 HD, the fast Discovery MR750, and the fusion technology of the Logiq E9, as reported in a recent release.

John Rice, vice chairman of GE said: “GE has developed technologies that improve the entire patient experience, from early and more accurate diagnosis to better treatment and management of diseases. The Discovery CT750 HD, Discovery MR750 and LOGIQ E9 are setting new technological standards in the early detection and diagnosis of many prevalent health issues. We are excited to bring these breakthrough innovations to help patients around the world.”

According to the company, the Discovery CT750 HD, a high-definition computed tomography (CT) provides an improved image with less radiation dose per scan for patients. This new technology is expected to offer up to 83% less dose on cardiac scans and up to 50% less dose across the rest of the body.

The Discovery MR750 is a magnetic resonance imaging scanner that looks to improve the overall patient experience without sacrificing image quality.

The Logiq E9, fuses ultrasound images with images from other imaging technologies like CT and MR for extraordinary image quality on all patient body types. With new tools and capabilities, the Logiq E9 is expected to improve workflow and diagnostic confidence for radiology and vascular applications – an essential for hospitals and large clinics.

According to a post by The Canadian Press on The Sault Star news site, Ontario is investing $1.4 million to expand defibrillator training for high-school students to enhance CPR and other on-the-spot treatment for cardiac arrest. The program will help the Advanced Coronary Treatment Foundation train teachers to instruct students in the use of an automated external defibrillator and help support placement of the devices in high schools across the province.

The Advanced Coronary Treatment Foundation launched a pilot project like this one in 2007 in several Canadian high schools to train students how to use defibrillators in the event of a cardiac emergency. In the United States, similar training programs have popped up, allowing for students to be able to use defibrillation techniques.

According to the article, each year, up to 40,000 Canadians suffer sudden cardiac arrest, resulting in ab estimated 30,000 Canadians deaths from sudden cardiac arrest each year. In the United States, the American Heart Association reports that in 2007 over 450,000 victims died from a coronary attack.

With numbers like these, it comes as no surprise that schools, offices, and public buildings are installing automatic external defibrillators at a growing rate. Companies like Burdick, Medtronic, Zoll, and Philips are some of the leading providers, offering people of all types and experience levels the chance to save a life in the event of an emergency.

Is your school prepared? Consider outfitting your building with an AED Defibrillator from PhysiciansResource.Net before students return from the holidays. Start an AED training program to show students and staff what to do in the event of a cardiac emergency. This training could prove to be the difference between life and death in a time of crisis.